Woody- 30 Months

I totally stole this idea from my sister, btw. Since Woody turned 30 months on 01/14, I thought I would tell 30 facts about my precious little guy.

1. He weighs 28 lbs now
2. He is normally an easy-going, agreeable kid. Of course he has his moments where he is a disaster and typical two year old, but I love this age/stage.
3. He ADORES his ABCs. If you sing a song, he sings the ABCs over your voice.

4. Likes to play with puzzles (especially the ABC one), books (especially the ABC one), trains, and Paw Patrol figures.
5. He loves is we let him see the iPad. What does he do on it? Watches videos of the ABC song on YouTube.
6. Woody is a decent eater. His top favorites are PB&Js, chicken nuggets, beans, green smoothies, grapes, strawberries, muffins, and cheeseburgers. Now that I type that, I realize how unhealthy his diet is. He is pretty good at trying foods though.
7. He likes to help walk the dogs. Brooks will let Woody hold Lucy's leash, and he thinks it is hilarious.

8. The park is one of his favorite places. I love that it is so close, and we can walk. We almost always bring bread so that he can feed the ducks.
9. He will try to repeat things if you ask. He struggles with annunciation, but I think it is precious.  He receives speech therapy, and I am seeing a lot of improvement.
10.I am 'Ma' and Brooks is 'Did.' I love how he says Teddy Bear (Ted Bee) and he has started calling Brooks's mom 'P' instead of Mimi.

11. Even if he just saw me, when I walk into a room, he says, "Oh, hey Ma!"
12. He goes to school two days a week in the morning. He loves it, and I am so glad that he loves school.
13. Is the easiest child to put to sleep. He still likes to take a nap and go to bed. Knock on wood, he has never tried to climb out of his crib.

14. But he had taught himself how to climb on the bathroom and kitchen cabinets.
15. He still has eczema. He doesn't mind getting slathered in lotion and lots of baths though.
16. Wears 2T clothes
17. Can easily count to 12. After 12, he just says 'der teen' over and over.

18. I love when he goes to bed to ask him about all of the things in his bed.  He sleeps with his ABC pillow, his Teddy Bear, a puppy dog (I recorded my voice in the dog's foot when I was having Gaines), his lovie, his beloved Blank (blanket), and an ABC book.
19. Bedtime is around 7:30. He wakes anywhere between 5:30-7:00.
20. We read from his Bible or prayer book before bed. Before you think we have this holy child, Brooks and I usually read while Woody plays with his trains or sings his ABCs over us.
21. I still cut his hair. I need to stop and get him a proper hair cut. I am just so scared they are going to cut it too short. His hair is especially curly when it is humid and when he gets up.

22. My favorite time of day with him is after Gaines goes to bed, because I can give him 100% of my attention.
23. He still really enjoys bath time.
24. He is an impromptu hugger. He hugs us all the time, but other people too. His sweet pediatrician tried to give him a high five, and when he was finished, Woody hugged him.

25. Most kids take a while before they warm up to you. Woody is the reverse. He isn't shy when he meets people, but after a while, he gets bored with you and wants you to leave.
26. He follows commands well, which also makes life easier.
27. He visited the University of Alabama for the first time. He is the most precious thing to ever yell 'Roll Tide!'

28. He likes to ride his bike, play basketball, and play chase with Brooks.
29. He likes to go on walks, cuddle, and have tickle fights with me.
30. He likes for Gaines to leave him alone.

Most of the time ;)

Hylan Marie Coleman

My friend, Jessica, is that friend that I always talk about who I love so much and then she left me and moved. Yeah....

Well, she had her precious baby girl (read about it here.) I was about to die to get my hands on her, smoother her with kisses, and whisper sweet nothings about moving to Atlanta. So Lisa, Catherine, and Gracelyn loaded up my car with my crew and headed to Sylacauga, Alabama (and Lisa documented the day much better than I did.)

So, the only picture I got of Hylan was this one of the back of her head...

 Gracelyn was telling her momma what a great big sister she was going to be.

Big Brother Burke wondering why all these kids were messing with his stuff

Y'all, I am going to steal this child, because I think she belongs to me. 

Mostly because she sits in fireplaces.

Hylan, I may not have gotten many pictures of you, but I love, love, love you and your brother!

A Trip to the Zoo

Thank you for your sweet words yesterday. I didn't write that post to throw a pity party, but as a real life testimony of a mom desperately wanting to do the "right" thing. I appreciate so many kind people lifting me up when I was down!

Last Saturday was the rare combination of two wonderful things: no plans and beautiful weather. So we went to the Atlanta Zoo! I had been on a field trip before, but Brooks and the boys (well, technically, Woody was in utero) had never been. It was a tad chilly in the morning, and since not all the animals weren't out, we got in for 1/2 price! Woody and Gaines could have cared less, they were just happy to run/be pushed around.

(I think this orangutan had a hard Friday night.)

Roll Tide!

The big hit was the train. Woody love trains, but has never been on one. He was nervous/excited and was whispering "choo-choo." He kept smiling at Brooks. (Yes, I definitely cried. I love seeing him so happy. I am going to be a wreck when we go to Disney.)

Then we rode the carousel. Woody was indifferent towards it. He would smile some, but I think he was getting sleepy. However, Gaines loved it! He kept bouncing up and down, and I was so scared he was going to fall off. I kept yelling at Brooks to hold tight.

When is this gonna move?

Deep Thoughts

Happiest guy!

Not Okay Being an Okay Mom

Last week was a little hard on this momma. I learned that the following (but not limited to): cold baby wipes, crying too long, disposable diapers, fast food, wait, no all non-organic food,iPads/iPhones, microwaves, paint, plastic, pollution, ride-on toys, TVs could lead to any or all (but not limited to) the following: ADHD, asthma, autism, blindness, cancer, concussions, criminal misdemeanors, hearing impairment, or obesity. (Why yes, I alphabetized both lists for you! You are so welcome!!!)

Obviously, I am exaggerating.

Obviously, we all have read "those" articles.

Obviously, it still can make you feel like a terrible parent.

(Those aren't teeth falling out. He had just shoved a veggie straw in his mouth.

Why did it get to me last week? It wasn't coming from some weird research, it was coming from moms I look up to. Moms that I respect and admire. I tried my usual tactics to cope- make a joke about it, try to justify it. But as much as I tell myself, "You are doing a okay job," no mother wants to just be an okay mom.

(Brooks, if you ever buy me this shirt, I will not think it is funny. Ever.)

By Friday, I felt completely broken. I wanted a restart button to take me back to November 11, 2011- the day I realized I was pregnant with Woody. I wanted to read all the parenting books, take the classes on labor. I wanted to hire someone to paint those cabinets (when I was pregnant with Woody) and then our entire house (when I was pregnant with Gaines.) I wanted to make all the baby food from only organic fruits and vegetables and later perfectly balanced meals. I wanted to take all TVs, computers, smart phones out of our house and replace them with BPA-free educational toys. I wanted to read to my children more and use cloth diapers. I wanted to baby proof better and learn baby sign language. I needed to start over.

I know my mother must have thought I was insane when I called her Friday evening in tears. Her words were perfectly honest.

"If there was a restart button, you would mess up again. You do the best you can, and pray that tomorrow you can do it a little better."

We later told stories of microwaves making you sterile and toddlers with Cheetos. I really love my momma.

(Where did these long legs come from?! All of his pants are capris!)

I am reading through the Bible (which I should have done a long time ago) and am fascinated by the mothers in Genesis- Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel. They were flawed, imperfect, and the road was not always easy (all of them had difficulty having children), but God used them and their children in mighty ways.

I earnestly pray that God will use my children and my deeply imperfect self for His glory and plan. And although I will never be that perfect mother my precious sons deserve, I will try each day to be a little better than I was the day before. 

Gaines- Ten Months

Um, pictures are getting difficult...

Gaines Facts

• Weight: Around 22 lbs
• Diaper Size: 4
• Clothing: 12 months, although in some pants he needs a 12-18 months!
• Sleep: Officially dropped the third nap. He is on a great schedule (knock on wood.) He takes his first nap from around 9-10 and goes back down around 1:00 for an 1.5-2 hour nap. He goes to bed sometime between 6:00 and 7:00 pm, sleeps until around 4, then up at 7:00 am.
• Eat: I am trying to ween him more and more from nursing and onto a sippy cup. He basically just nurses for comfort. He likes to nurse when he wakes, after naps, and before bed. He is eating lots of table food, and likes it all! We have tried broccoli, green beans, black beans, bananas, pasta, cheese, veggie sticks, and chicken. I still give some baby food to him too. He gets so excited when I sit him in his high chair.
• 12 teeth...insane
• He is standing on his own. He usually gets scared when he realizes it and drops to a crawl. Gaines can really cruise, but no steps on his own yet. That is ok, he is a fast crawler.
• Poor thing bumps his head daily. And has had two busted lips.
• When Gaines is really melting, a bath will make him happy. We have to keep the bathroom door closed at all times, and he will sit by the door, banging to get a bath.
• Really likes when I make stuffed animals talk/growl at him
• Likes the dogs
• Are you his momma? No? Then you are terrible. Dad and grandparents are ok, but are no Momma. 
• He really hates the church nursery. He has gotten kicked out the past two weeks for crying so hard. (Bad mom confession: I just needed a break from my youngest blessing and was looking forward to MOPS and the provided nursery. When I dropped him off, I told them I didn't care if he cried, I needed at least 30 minutes away. When I picked him up, one of the poor workers was having to push him down the hall in the Bye Bye Buggy.
• Does not like: if I am not holding him, wiping his nose, Woody crying

Some of my Favies

Here is a bunch of my favorite things lately. Don't worry, they are all cheap!

OGX Weightless Hydration Coconut Water

In the winter, my ends get really dry (while my scalp stays oily.)After I get out of the shower, I give my hair a few squirts of this, and it makes my hair super soft! It smells like the beach too...which is nice when it is freezing here.

Covergirl Outlast LipColor (in Natural Blush-621)

 I have never had full lips to begin with, so I need to wear lipstick all the time. The problem is that it is gone in 30 minutes. Not this stuff. It sticks, And then add the gloss and your are good to go! I really like this color. It says "natural" but I think it is a tad darker than natural. It is a nice berry color.

In This House We Will Giggle

By Courtney DeFeo

I rarely have time to read things other than USWeekly, so when my MOPS group had this author come speak, I wasn't super excited about trying to carve out time for reading things other than celebrity gossip. Then I heard Courtney, and she is amazing. And her book is amazing!

When I was teaching, I had some great lectures. And by great, I mean that my kids completely tuned me out. Surprise, surprise telling children to be kind doesn't make them kind. Saying to them that it is hurtful to bully- they don't care. Preaching about honestly? They will lie as they mumble how they won't do it again. Courtney's whole book is about having more fun with your children and less lectures. She writes tips and activities that you can do with your children to teach those precious virtues we want our children to learn.

Also, she breaks it up into a virtue a month. So (if you are like me), and reading an entire book is seems impossible, you can just do a chapter at a time. A great read for moms and teachers!

REI Midweight Suit

REI Midweight Bottoms

I know I have said this before, but I rarely by my kids clothes. Mimi introduced me to this line from REI, and I am OBSESSED! My kids love to wear them. The are soft and really comfortable for lounging around the house. Also, you can wear it forever!

It started when Mimi got Woody the suit for his first winter. It is a size 6 months, and he wore it his first winter (age 4-8 months), his second winter (when we was normally in a 12-18 month), and now Gaines wears it (he is normally in a 12-18 month.)

Woody

Gaines

It stretches like you would believe! Now Woody has the pants.

Don't ask about the shoes. To have a limited vocabulary, he can be quite opinionated.